Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example for Free

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay To defend against criticism is one thing, to convince the critic is another. The latter is far more challenging, though none could say with merit that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a man unsuited for battling adversity. In 1963, King was jailed for marching without permit in the city of Birmingham. His detractors regarded his actions as, â€Å"unwise and untimely† (King 1), prompting the civil rights activist to respond with â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail†. In it, King utilizes the three classical appeals, biblical references, various forms of rhetoric, and a carefully selected tone to create a wonderfully worded piece that serves the purpose of arguing his side. An argumentative piece is any writing that supports a specific set of opinions and beliefs. Often times, they utilize the three classical appeals in order to persuade the audience of said ideas. In the letter, King makes use of all three. For instance, he applies logos, the logical appeal, in the lines, â€Å"Several months ago the [Southern Christian Leadership Conference affiliates] here in Birmingham asked [me] to be on call to engage in a nonviolent direct action program†¦ So I, along with several members of my staff, am here because I was invited here,† (King 1). In order to justify his appearance in Birmingham, something called into question by his fellow clergymen, King presents basic logic. He was there because he was invited, an inarguable fact that grants him reason for presence and serves the point of urging others to accept his arrival in Birmingham as justified. That said, this fact would fall flat if King’s position was nothing outside a man in jail. The second classical appeal is ethos, the ethical appeal. Most often, the ethical appeal builds up the author’s appearance, making them into a figure the audience believes worthy of listening to. Though few of the modern world would question King’s words, many of his contemporaries viewed him poorly. So, in order to convince these people of his position, he had to highlight his better qualities. In expressing his genealogy as, â€Å"being the son, the grandson and the great-grandson of preachers,† (King 7), King successfully makes himself out to be a man who has a close connection to the church. This makes him a more valid figure to his audience, particularly because they are clergymen. As a valid figure, the audience is more likely to accept his words as true and reasonable, thereby increasing chances that they come to agree with his argument. That said, such would not occur if all King presented, as a valid figure or otherwise, was logic. A connection to the audience is just as vital as all else, after all. The final classical appeal is pathos, the emotional appeal. It serves to make a link between the argument and the audience’s feelings, thereby impassioning the topic for them. King accomplishes this seamlessly by selecting the perfect medium for his audience of religious peoples. Emotionally charged biblical references strike out at King’s readers, grasping them by the heart and shoving them into compliance. This can be seen in the statement, â€Å"Yes, I see the church as the body of Christ. But, oh! How we have blemished and scarred that body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists,† (King 7). King conjects that the people of the church have damaged it and, therefore, have damaged Christ himself. This statement would illicit an emotional response from any Christian, particularly feelings of horror and guilt. Because of this response, the readers are more likely to consider King’s opinions in order to avoid further damaging Christ and also to seek forgiveness for earlier infringements. Still, knowing both sides as reasonable is not always enough. To completely convince his readers, King had to discredit their own views. Antithesis is an example of a rhetorical device, one that presents the opposing idea to the author’s thesis before pointing out its flaws. Of the many forms of rhetoric King uses, this one appears the most frequently and serves the largest role in supporting his purpose of convincing his fellows. In fact, it appears at the start of many of King’s body paragraphs, such as with the declaration, â€Å"In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion?†(King 5). An example of antithesis based on it and its following line’s examination of the critic’s opinion, this use of rhetoric allows for King’s audience to see the fault in their own argument. Furthermore, it allows for the clergymen to further consider King’s own position. Had this been done with ferocity, it would have elicited a horrendous response. Fortunately, King presented a kind and patient tone throughout his letter. He expressed understanding for the clergymen’s views and approached convincing them gently. This can, arguably, be seen most evidently in the lines, â€Å"If I have said anything†¦that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me,† (King 9). King does not approach with accusation, demanding that the clergymen apologize for their judgments. Instead, he offers apologies on his side just in case he happened to over step some line. This attitude is further displayed in the closing, which reads, â€Å"Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood, Martin Luther King Jr.,† (King 9). By expressing that he is interested in such positive relations in such a positive way, King is able to seal the deal, leaving his piece convincing enough to sway the most rigid of opponents. King sets out in his letter to persuade his fellow church goers of his positions, to demonstrate that that his argument is the one that should be followed. He accomplishes this well by using some of the most effective literary tools for his audience, namely in the form of rhetorical devices, biblical references, classical appeals, and gentle tone. He started with the vast challenge of persuading his critics. In the end, he left his critics with the even more complex challenge of bringing themselves to further deny his opinion. If modern day is any indication, the majority failed miserably, if not for the betterment of society.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company :: Business Marketing

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Introduction The Vermont Teddy Bear Company (VTBC) was founded in 1981 by John Sorinto. Unfortunately, for John, the company became too big for him to oversee since he was an entrepreneur. However, he gracefully stepped down in 1995 and supported the hiring of a new CEO that would lead the company into its future success (Vincelette, p. 27-3). One thing that has remained is the companies focus. The Vermont Teddy Bear's "...focus has been to design, manufacture, and direct market the best teddy bears made in America using quality American materials and labor." (p. 27-1) In fact, "American made with American materials" is the basis of the company's mission statement. Planning for the future of Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc it is important that we consider conditions/trends in the internal environment of the company that may impact the future success of the company. These factors (conditions/trends) involve financial resources, human resources, the quality of products and services provided the efficiency of internal processes, student and stakeholder satisfaction, and the company culture. Specification of these factors will allow us to: 1) identify their potential impact on the market; 2) assess the probability that they will continue; 3) categorize them as strengths or challenges; 4) rank them in terms of how well the company is doing in each category. The internal strengths and weakness analysis examines the recent performance of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc in terms of marketing, finance, operations and logistics, research and development, human resource management and information systems. The purpose of this analysis is to provide the data for the gap analysis -- the current performance of Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc and the desired (vision) performance required to successfully increase market share and customer satisfaction. Since strengths and weaknesses involve the study of the internal structure, or come from within the organization. This process is extremely important because Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc may want to develop new goals that should allow them to maximize its position relative to each functional area. 1 Opportunities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Larger manufacturing facility   Ã‚  Retail stores   Ã‚  Ã‚  Made in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Production and Service, Customer perspective Threats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Competitors (chocolates, flowers, and greeting cards)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Disney /Patents, Trademarks, and licenses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bear Grams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 .20 .07 .18 .15. .20 .10 .10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3 4.6 4.2 5.0 4.2 3.6 2.8 2.5   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4 0.92 0.29 0.90 0.63 0.72 0.28 0.25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The small village, the Teddy Bear Common More retail stores are willing sell Attracts more Americans. The company provided unique and original customized products to everyone, from ages 1-100. advantage of national and international distribution opportunities The customers became confused and allowed Disney to enter the personalized teddy bear gift market.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Problem Statement

Analysis and Issues When the senior-level women at Vision resigned, it seems from the information in Lie's memo that people assumed that they were choosing Emily over a career and therefore, management believed there was nothing that the company could have done to retain these women. However, these women may have left for better opportunities, potentially with competitors. Vision's obvious costs of losing these employees include the loss of investment made in recruiting and training them as well as the cost of recruiting and training their replacements.Yet, the hidden cost of employee turnover is possibly even more devastating. These hidden costs include the loss of intellectual capital and the potential for the former employee to come a competitor; potential disruption in the. General Electric and its river pollution problems; GE and Westinghouse antitrust action in turbines; Walter's aggressive growth strategy and the loss of small town businesses; Wall-Mart and its labor and legal practices; and Wall- Mart with its â€Å"Buy America Program. Now here comes Enron, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, Tycoon, Martha Stewart, Disney (remember its privacy practices and guest safety issues), Delphic, Rite Aid, Nordstrom, the dot com bubble, Xerox and its large restatement of earnings, ditto Lucent, ND who could forget Crispy Cream donuts? There is a point here. Bad ethics isn't necessarily new, but there does seem to be more problems that are even bigger today than yesterday. These issues can be national news, but they can also permeate even small organizations, causing irreparable harm.This is where sound human resource (HER) development and systems become important so that HER leaders can strategically support the organization for the good of the organization itself. There is a fundamental reality that seems to have escaped our notice: Ethical issues are important, and ethical locations are not all that uncommon. Think about your own encounters with rude sales pe ople, telephone service sales solicitations, product defects, and other day-to-day encounters. Much of this does not make it to the nightly news, but ethical transgressions are quite common in today's society.Think about your work life. Does senior management truly respect you and your co- workers? Who gets blamed when problems arise? Are you surprised when important decisions are announced? Are you involved in discussions about strategically important problems, opportunities and questions? Ethics do not serially involve the big transgression all of the time. They can be the result of hidden forces that many times we don't even see. They are so common that we often take them for granted, almost.How often do we take action and don't even think that there is an ethical point to consider? Ethical issues in the workplace are often invisible. Publicly there is general consensus that managers should not violate laws. After the summer of 2002, it should be pretty clear that it makes no sen se to knowingly break the law. Obviously, the executives at Arthur Andersen were foolish to shred those documents and he chief accountants at MIMIC World were wrong to book current period expenses as capitalized assets.Certainly, Enron's income recognition problems and off-balance sheet â€Å"Special Purpose Entities† was clearly inappropriate-?as was their loans and dealings outside the United States. The answer to those that participated Was a resounding â€Å"no†. In all cases, the managers involved made a case that they â€Å"believed† their actions and â€Å"ethics† were within current social standards. These people share they didn't â€Å"knowingly† cross the line. Have you experienced people in your career and organization that would say the same?One could argue that the fundamental mistake by the above executives was getting too close to a line that isn't clearly visible, even moves over time. Golden State Fence and Koch Foods may argue tha t they were not aware of those people working for them were brought in without valid right-to-work documents. However those employees at Citreous, LASS, MM, 24 Hour Fitness, Sears, Irritate, Cutbacks, Emery's, Farmers Insurance, Longs Drugs, arguing for overtime wages after finding out they were misclassified as a â€Å"salaried† exempt employee do indeed â€Å"get it! † Problem Statement Analysis and Issues When the senior-level women at Vision resigned, it seems from the information in Lie's memo that people assumed that they were choosing Emily over a career and therefore, management believed there was nothing that the company could have done to retain these women. However, these women may have left for better opportunities, potentially with competitors. Vision's obvious costs of losing these employees include the loss of investment made in recruiting and training them as well as the cost of recruiting and training their replacements.Yet, the hidden cost of employee turnover is possibly even more devastating. These hidden costs include the loss of intellectual capital and the potential for the former employee to come a competitor; potential disruption in the. General Electric and its river pollution problems; GE and Westinghouse antitrust action in turbines; Walter's aggressive growth strategy and the loss of small town businesses; Wall-Mart and its labor and legal practices; and Wall- Mart with its â€Å"Buy America Program. Now here comes Enron, Arthur Andersen, Global Crossing, Tycoon, Martha Stewart, Disney (remember its privacy practices and guest safety issues), Delphic, Rite Aid, Nordstrom, the dot com bubble, Xerox and its large restatement of earnings, ditto Lucent, ND who could forget Crispy Cream donuts? There is a point here. Bad ethics isn't necessarily new, but there does seem to be more problems that are even bigger today than yesterday. These issues can be national news, but they can also permeate even small organizations, causing irreparable harm.This is where sound human resource (HER) development and systems become important so that HER leaders can strategically support the organization for the good of the organization itself. There is a fundamental reality that seems to have escaped our notice: Ethical issues are important, and ethical locations are not all that uncommon. Think about your own encounters with rude sales pe ople, telephone service sales solicitations, product defects, and other day-to-day encounters. Much of this does not make it to the nightly news, but ethical transgressions are quite common in today's society.Think about your work life. Does senior management truly respect you and your co- workers? Who gets blamed when problems arise? Are you surprised when important decisions are announced? Are you involved in discussions about strategically important problems, opportunities and questions? Ethics do not serially involve the big transgression all of the time. They can be the result of hidden forces that many times we don't even see. They are so common that we often take them for granted, almost.How often do we take action and don't even think that there is an ethical point to consider? Ethical issues in the workplace are often invisible. Publicly there is general consensus that managers should not violate laws. After the summer of 2002, it should be pretty clear that it makes no sen se to knowingly break the law. Obviously, the executives at Arthur Andersen were foolish to shred those documents and he chief accountants at MIMIC World were wrong to book current period expenses as capitalized assets.Certainly, Enron's income recognition problems and off-balance sheet â€Å"Special Purpose Entities† was clearly inappropriate-?as was their loans and dealings outside the United States. The answer to those that participated Was a resounding â€Å"no†. In all cases, the managers involved made a case that they â€Å"believed† their actions and â€Å"ethics† were within current social standards. These people share they didn't â€Å"knowingly† cross the line. Have you experienced people in your career and organization that would say the same?One could argue that the fundamental mistake by the above executives was getting too close to a line that isn't clearly visible, even moves over time. Golden State Fence and Koch Foods may argue tha t they were not aware of those people working for them were brought in without valid right-to-work documents. However those employees at Citreous, LASS, MM, 24 Hour Fitness, Sears, Irritate, Cutbacks, Emery's, Farmers Insurance, Longs Drugs, arguing for overtime wages after finding out they were misclassified as a â€Å"salaried† exempt employee do indeed â€Å"get it! †

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Argumentative Essay On The Holocaust - 735 Words

Argumentative Essay 2 During the Holocaust Adolf Hitler used the SS and the non-party police to torture and arrest anyone that oppose or refuse to abide by the new Nazi system.Many people chose to go along with what they heard or read to avoid causing problems.Other simply believed anything a person said no matter where they got their information It is easy to get into the routine of ignoring problems that have been created, or even take on others bad habits that are expressed during the situation. All of these things are effects of following a leader blindly. Following the crowd can lead to incorrect beliefs, bad habits, and even danger. Germans believed the false information from the propaganda, which lead to many people being put into†¦show more content†¦In Wiesel’s speech, he mentions the St. Louis ship which carried nearly 1,000 Jews to the United States, then was told to turn back to Nazi Germany. After the public pressured President Roosevelt into making a statement condemning the German government, the British Army and the Pope stepped in to help the Jews in the Holocaust. As a result, many peoples lives were saved because of the other countries help, however many people were still in danger. Many Germans incorrect beliefs for other peoples lives in great Danger. Some might say that not everyone that believed the false information during the holocaust were put into dangerous situations. While that may be the case, being in a dangerous situation was still more likely for anyone that believed false information. In Night by Elie Wiesel, a man called Moishe the Beadle tried to warn Jewish people about the Nazis, but everyone said it was not possible for anyone to annihilate an entire group of people. However, the Jewish peoples belief about the Nazis power spread through towns, so many people believe they were safe. Hitler believed that he could improve the human gene pool so we convince the â€Å"superior race† that they needed to stay away from the â€Å" inferior race†. As a result of Hitlers â€Å"FinalShow MoreRelatedAssignment On Income Inequality : Extinction Of The American Dream885 Words   |  4 PagesMy intension for all of my essay assignments dur ing this semester were to have strong supporting examples for the thesis statements, use proper grammar, and choose good advanced words to show more professional mind. With good advises from Smarthinking tutors, my dad, and my peers, I have progressed my papers toward better essays. I have saved my papers individually as I corrected them to show the progressions. In my argumentative essay, Income Inequality: Extinction of the American Dream, I usedRead MoreAdvancing the Individuals Knowledge of the Holocaust Essay2289 Words   |  10 Pagesserve to advance humanity’s understanding of the holocaust. The holocaust can be explained as the historical event in which the Nazi’s, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, and its collaborators murdered and persecuted approximately six million Jews. This came about because of the German belief that they were â€Å"racially superior† and the Jews were an alien threat to the German state. For humanity to advance in their knowledge of the holocaust they must gain an overall knowledge, which wouldRead MoreLiterature Has The Power Of Literature3178 Words   |  13 Pagessorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.† Books inspire people. Just by Anne Frank’s diary alone, has inspired over that 25 million people. Since it was first published in 1947, Anne Frank’s di ary has become one of the most powerful memoirs of the Holocaust. Its message of courage and hope in the face of adversity has appealed to people all over the world, having been translated into 67 languages with over 30 million copies sold. One young, ordinary girl inspired millions, and continues inspiring. IfRead MoreEuropean Collective Identity11275 Words   |  46 Pageson within and outside these normative debates which are used to construct a particular narrative as a special (even chosen) people. Normative arguments are a part of narratives; they are embedded in narrative clauses that convey meaning to argumentative debates (Eder, in press). Normative debates are therefore an important part of the process of identity construction, part of an ongoing story that is produced in arguing about Europe. The Reference Object of a European Collective Identity Making